Artist Statement

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In my childhood and adulthood, I have moved between cities and across countries and so, I have been exposed to different cultural environments at different stages of my life. My English teacher introduced me to Kazuo Ishiguro ‘s “The Artist of the Floating World”. The novel had a long-lasting impression on me and, ever since, I have been intrigued by the concept of “the floating world” and its relation to Buddhism. The term encapsulates the idea that the true nature of reality is impermanence and that the world is in constant state of flux, at the same time we embody that transiency and live in it. 

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I started my own artistic journey after studying ink wash painting with my contemporary ink teacher in Singapore.  He would say, “The practices of today will be the traditions of tomorrow” and encouraged me to experiment and develop my own artistic voice in painting. Following in his footsteps, I fuse color and concepts of ink wash painting, but take on subject matter that breaks with classical painting. Depending on the viewer’s interpretation, some may consider my works to be done in a ‘Japanese style’, some may interpret them as being ‘Asian’. For me, my practice is “art of thousand times-千百回絵”, where my process of making art is like the turning of spinning gear wheels. The elements that appear in my works interlink and interlock with each other, and each artwork extends or develops a previous piece or group of pieces, thus connecting them with each other. All these appearances are a form or stage of an evolving phenomenon.

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Being interested in metaphysical and spiritual themes, I use symbolism and explore styles that are not explicitly related to traditional techniques. As I have gone through different stages of life, my painting has evolved, and I hope the viewers can come on the journey with me.